Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
Recently, whilst looking for a specific bit of information in my overflowing Google Drive, I happened upon two quotes, the first published in the Good Schools Guide following their visit to both our campuses: “Without doubt, GES is one of the warmest, most welcoming and family- orientated schools in the world.” The second statement was made by Colin Bell, CEO of the Council of British International Schools, someone with extensive, first-hand knowledge of GES, and is equally affirming; “Any family looking for excellence in learning and teaching in an outward-looking, international-minded British school can feel confident choosing GES.”
Each of these pronouncements is powerful on its own – particularly coming from authorities in the field of education – but, combined, they are all the more meaningful. Many schools may be strong pedagogically, and others may provide a pleasant learning environment, but maintaining both these qualities concurrently in one package is something for which I am intensely proud of our young people, their parents and GES staff. My admiration for all who contribute to our success is never more true than at the end of a term when academic achievement and community spirit are both on such brilliant display.
This week, I have seen our Secondary students come out of their various spotlight and end-of-term assessments, as well as mock exams, and I have been reassured (and relieved) to hear them say that, for the most part, they are confident all went well. In Primary, children as young as Year 1 are using words like “axis” and “equator” and conducting experiments to understand night and day. In Year 2, little people are doing complex sums with big numbers. Our children are challenged and successful, confident and happy.
If you have not done so yet, please browse through our school calendar and mark in your diaries the upcoming events that pertain to your children and families – there are many that are not to be missed, including the Early Years and Key Stage 1 Christmas Shows, the Primary Rising Stars Concert, and the Key Stage 4 & 5 Talent Show. Two highlights of the season, the annual Christmas Fair which is organised by our Parents’ Association (true forces of nature!), and Escalade celebration and races will close out next week, and I hope to see many of you there.
All the best,
Christina Matillon
A Cultural Tour of London
Last Friday, our Key Stage 5 group set off bright and early, arriving in central London around 11am. Their first stop was the British Library for a fascinating guided tour. The building itself, designed to appear almost two-dimensional against the sky, quickly became an architectural highlight for the group. Inside, students explored exhibitions featuring early texts, including remarkable examples of historic Bibles once owned by Elizabeth I and Henry VIII.
From there, the group headed to the Hayward Gallery for a retrospective on the provocative and ever-surprising artistic duo Gilbert & George. The afternoon continued at the British Film Institute, where students watched A Quiet Passion, a biopic about poet Emily Dickinson – and even spotted George Clooney on a press junket for his newest movie Jay Kelly!
Saturday began at the National Gallery with Radical Harmony, a stunning post-impressionist exhibition that students described as beautiful, ethereal and deeply inspiring. Next door at the National Portrait Gallery, they explored Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World before enjoying some free time wandering Covent Garden.
In the evening, everyone met at the Harold Pinter Theatre to see The Weir, starring Brendan Gleeson. From their excellent bird’s-eye view, students appreciated the intimate set design and the play’s powerful but understated staging.
Sunday started at the Royal Academy, where the group viewed the work of Kerry James Marshall, the acclaimed American artist whose practice centres on depicting Black life with power and visibility. This made a big impact, marking Ms Hopley’s highlight of the trip.
They then continued to Tate Britain for the Lee Miller exhibition, which became the standout favourite for most students. Miller’s groundbreaking shift from surrealist model and photographer to pioneering war correspondent left a deep impression on everyone. Afterwards came a walk to Sinfonia Smith Square, where they enjoyed Birdsong, a beautifully atmospheric orchestral performance featuring soprano Elizabeth Watts, who even spoke with Stella, our own aspiring opera singer, offering thoughtful advice and guidance to support her future as a musician! To conclude their penultimate day, there was a memorable stop at Greggs for some vegan sausage rolls and mince pies!
Monday saw the group split into two: one half attended a workshop at Shakespeare’s Globe, including a tour and an energetic exploration of iambic pentameter; the other half visited the Tate Modern for the Nigerian Modernism and Theatre Picasso exhibitions. These complementary shows revealed the fascinating push-and-pull between Western influences on Nigerian art and African influences on Picasso’s mid-century works. Lunch on the fourth floor came with a breathtaking panoramic view of the London skyline, a perfect final touch!
This week in class
Year 1 had a fantastic time investigating how we experience night and day! They learned a lot of new scientific vocabulary, including such terms as equator, axis, rotate, and the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Our investigators then created their own “orange planets,” using sticks to represent Earth’s axis and drawing on the equator, along with markers for Switzerland and Australia. Next, in complete darkness, one researcher used a torch to act as the Sun while the other rotated the orange planets and watched firsthand how day and night are formed.
Well done to our brilliant Year 1 scientists!
Year 2 have been thoroughly enjoying their cross curricular learning this term, merging science, art and English to study different types of materials and their properties. Recently, they have been learning about Rosie Revere, a school-girl engineer with some amazing inventions linked with art. Stepping into the shoes of inventors and engineers and inspired by what they had learned, our students created their own flying contraptions of all shapes and sizes. They will now apply their Talk for Writing skills to their learning on non-fiction explanation texts to wow their audiences with information and fun facts about their incredible machines.
Students in Year 3 investigated the enquiry question “Does everything cast a shadow?” this week. Using their knowledge from previous lessons, they discussed how light travels through, or reflects from, transparent, translucent and opaque objects. Using this understanding, they predicted whether objects with these different properties would cast a shadow, and how dark each shadow would be. After carrying out their experiment and comparing their predictions with their results, they concluded that yes, everything does cast a shadow, although the darkness of the shadow depends on how much light the object lets through.
Brainstorming what else could be learned about light and shadows, they came up with an enquiry question for their next investigation, “Does the size of a shadow change if the object is further away or closer to the light source?”.
Our Year 3-4 French group, “Les Crêpes“, has been diving into the magical world of Les Sorcières! Exploring several witch-themed stories, students learned how to use the verbs “avoir” and “être” to describe different characters, drawing inspiration from their main book this term, Une soupe 100% sorcière. Discovering all kinds of new vocabulary, they learned the names of many vegetables (the perfect ingredients for a magical concoction), and made predictions about what would happen next in the story. They even acted out parts of the story, bringing the characters to life! Their book also served as an excellent basis to explore grammar concepts such as noms propres, noms communs and déterminants.
To finish their learning in the most delicious way, our witches and wizards cooked la soupe de la sorcière together, enjoying every minute of the cooking (and tasting!) process!
Our Year 8 students turned into engineers this week to explore how energy transfers work. Designing and building their own thermal windmills using paper carefully cut into a spiral or fan shape, they observed as the heat from a candle pushed against the “blades” of their windmill and caused it to spin. A fun and hands-on experiment which enables them to understand convection currents and how these drive weather systems that power large-scale wind turbines.
Beyond the Classroom
Giving Thanks at Primary School
Our youngest learners celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday through a series of activities exploring the origins and characteristics of this American holiday.
Reflecting about farms and where food comes from, they identified correctly all the various ingredients that go into a traditional Thanksgiving meal, such as cranberries, sweet potatoes, turkey, pumpkin and pecan pies. Our learners also considered all the different ways that Thanksgiving in celebrated, such as turkey track runs, football games, parades and the like.
Students also shared what they are thankful for, which included rainbows, friends, brothers and sisters, and even Switzerland!
Primary Maths Challenge Winners
Congratulations to our Year 6 mathematicians for their fantastic results in this year’s Primary Maths Challenge. House Jura won the cup this year, but it was a very close call with only a 0.2 score difference between first and second place!
Will Jura be able to hold on to the title next year…?
Extra-Curricular Activities
Pizza Party at ASC
There is nothing quite like pizza and carol singing to get into the Christmas spirit! Our After School Care students did just that this week as they prepared some delicious Christmas tree pizzas while singing Christmas songs. We certainly have some terrific pizzaioli in our midst!
Warming Up at Running Club
Our Primary Running Club was all about having fun while keeping warm! Our runners ran relay races with warm jumpers and items of clothing as “batons” to reach their coaches and dress the adults up for the cold weather – superhero capes included!
Making a Rainbow in Science Club
Our Year 6 Science Club had a blast in this week’s session. Diving deep into how the pH scale works, our chemists made a pH Indicator Rainbow by carefully adding an alkali to a solution of dilute acid and universal indicator.
They were then faced with a challenge like no other! Armed with only an acid, an alkali and universal indicator they had to mix the solutions until they achieved a neutral pH, indicated by the solution’s green colour.
Community News
School Lunch Menus
During a recent meeting with Ms Matillon, Mrs Brassington and Madame Durey, Primary Class Representatives shared parents’ feedback and queries regarding the hot lunch service at school.
An important question was raised during this discussion: “How do I know what my child will be eating?”
You will be pleased to know that the menus from our school caterer, Novae, are always published in advance here via My School Portal (under School Information – Lunch Menu).
We hope this will assist you as you plan your weekly shopping and food preparation as a family.
Bronze Medal for Our Netballers
Congratulations to our Year 9 netballers, Miatta and Isla, who both play with the Kingfisher’s Netball Club in Founex.
Together with their team, they won the bronze medal in the recent Swiss Junior Clubs Championship 2025!
GES' Artist in Residence
A couple of weeks ago, our Year 3 and 4 artists enjoyed a behind-the-scenes peek into the creative process through an inspiring interview with Year 9’s talented comic-strip artist, Zoe. Her technique and thoughtful tips captivated the children, leaving them buzzing with ideas for their own stories.
While artwork of GCSE and A Level Art students will be displayed in the December showcase, we wanted to spotlight Zoe for being such a dedicated and authentic young artist — and share her interview with the wider school community!
Black Friday Discount on GES Ski Jackets
GES ski jackets are currently on sale at our GES online boutique! Available in Secondary and Adult sizes, we are delighted to offer a 40% discount for Black Friday!
If you wish to purchase a GES ski jacket and take advantage of our promotional offer, please visit our dedicated page (password: protected) and enter the code FOB40 at the moment of checkout.
GES on the Airwaves | Interview with Helena Grant
Our incoming Head of Primary, Helena Grant, shared her expertise of the English National Curriculum with World Radio Switzerland’s Katt Cullen as part of the Breakfast Show last week.
Highlighting its international recognition and academic rigour, Helena explained how the English National Curriculum balances pedagogical excellence with the development of the whole child through its focus on building teamwork, leadership, empathy and resilience. Ideal both for internationally-mobile families and local residents, the English National Curriculum enables students to develop their natural curiosity, make continued progress as they move through each of the six key stages of the curriculum, and undertake qualifications such as GCSEs and A Levels which are recognised by schools and universities around the world.
With over 25 years of experience in education in both day and boarding schools across the globe, Helena brings a wealth of expertise of the English National Curriculum and a rich global perspective of working across various continents.
